Covid-19 Data

David Kurten: Which data sources do you use to inform your statements on Covid-19?

The Mayor: I meet regularly with my Statutory Health Advisor and the leadership of NHS London to understand the situation with the pandemic in London.
They provide me with a range of key indicators, using PHE and NHS data sources, including the number of cases of Covid-19 reported in London, the weekly 7-day case rate by borough and age group, positivity rates and testing rates, and data on hospital admissions and NHS demand and capacity.
Vaccine data is now also published at a regional level by the NHS and PHE.
London’s Strategic Coordination Group has been at the heart of London’s response and I also continue to meet regularly with the Leaders of the London boroughs to agree our joint position on the challenges facing our city.

London Fire Brigade

Susan Hall: Will the Mayor ensure the London Fire Brigade’s budget is maintained to ensure it can deliver on its transformation plan drawn up in response to the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the subsequent inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS)?

The Mayor: I am doing everything possible to protect the London Fire Brigade (LFB) from the cuts being imposed on London by the Government. In order to minimise the impact on frontline services, I ensured the police and fire services were asked to make the smallest percentage reduction in spending across the GLA Group.
For 2020/21, I provided an additional £5 million from GLA reserves to protect the LFB's budget. The LFB used its own Budget Flexibility Reserve to meet the remaining £5 million it was required to save, preventing LFB from having to make any reductions in services.
For 2021/22, I have used £1.59 of the annual increase in the council tax precept (based on a Band D property) to provide an additional £15 million to the London Fire Brigade. This is equivalent to the savings target set for the LFB, meaning the LFB's budget is again protected from the impact of spending reductions.